McClellan said the department was last out a week ago to inspect the destroyed building at 4000 Avalon Drive.

"We were all pretty much on the same page, not having a definite cause for how it started," he said.

At least 18 people were displaced when the four-story building, part of the Avalon Oaks complex, went up in flames on Friday, Feb. 8.

Crews from neighboring communities were called in to help battle the four-alarm blaze that sprang up during a snowstorm with severe winds and near whiteout conditions.

The department has found out the fire originated on an exterior patio and ruled out heating or electrical issues as causes.

An insurance company sent out a fire investigator who may continue seeking a cause, McClellan said.

After the fire, the American Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts helped the building's residents find lodging and provided winter clothing and other supplies. Additional measures are under way in the community.

A Facebook page titled "Please Help the February Blizzard Fire Victims in Wilmington" has been set up to publicize and coordinate relief efforts.

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Posts on the page say at least five children were among the displaced, two of them young boys. Through an online registry, the page organizers are collecting donations, including clothing for the two boys, members of the only family they say they've been able to connect with. Clothes, as well as nonperishable food items and gift cards to pharmacies, supermarkets and department stores, can be dropped off at the Avalon Oaks office on Avalon Drive.

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